Erin O'Hara: Staying Merry and keep the balance to support your health

Christmas is a time for enjoying yourself but how can we keep the balance to stay healthy?
Erin O'Hara joins Francesca Rudkin to discuss how keeping a little balance can make all the difference in how you feel - and the importance of supporting your gut health.
Tips to keep the balance: 

• Get rid of the ‘all-or-nothing’ approach. Everything in moderation 
• Limit Alcohol intake  
• Eat your veggies and protein first before indulging in sweets and treats 
• Eat sugar in moderation 
• Try not to skip meals and then overeat at one meal  
• Hydration - we can overeat when we are dehydrated. 
• Quality sleep - sugar cravings are worse when we are sleep deprived. 
• Keep up with some Exercise - create a fitness schedule for the holidays  
• A few days of overindulgence won't put you off track. When not at social gatherings try to get back to some healthy meals to keep the balance.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talks edb So.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Mike Vanda Alsen has just you know, given us some
great tips from some lovely sweet treats to have over Christmas,
and Aaron is no with us erin Ohara Natrapeth to
talk wellness and just to remind us to maybe just
find some balance over the Christmas period.

Speaker 3 (00:29):
Good morning, good morning. Yes, it's all about balance, not
the grench of Christmas. Keeping that balance with our nutrition
is super important at this time of year, and I
know that quite often we've got that accessibility to a
lot more desserts, a lot more sweet foods, a lot
more alcohol, chocolates, all those things that we can over
indulge in, but we can also keep the balance and

(00:51):
still enjoy some of those things as well. So it's
not about having no treats and making your whole life miserable,
but actually making it so it works for you, so
you can still feel good and not feel really bloated
and sluggish and tired through this time.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
But there's a difference between enjoying a day or two
of some of some lovely eating with friends and family
and then having that kind of extend out over the
whole summer holiday. You know, it's sort of like I
look forward to the Christmas and we indulge when we
do that, but then I don't think there's going to
be anything really particularly in order to eat in our
house from boxing Dad, It'll be gone. You know, you

(01:27):
kind of if you just sort of go, willa, I'm
not going to you know, my whole summer's not going
to go out the window just because I'm going to
go on holiday and get ready.

Speaker 3 (01:35):
Yeah, you can go on the diet holiday that never ends,
but actually not letting it get out of control and
be like, oh, I'm going to have some more relaxed
kind of no rules on these days, but also kind
of finding that balance and not labeling foods as like
good and bad or can and carn eat these things,
but instead creating a beautiful balance in your nutrition, which

(01:56):
might mean you know, limiting your alcohol intake, you know,
throughout the day, even on Christmas Day. Eat some veggies,
great way to kind of create that balance of sugar
levels as well as protein. With the vegetables, it will
just help you kind of keep your sugar levels balance
when you do have the dessert at the end. And
then it might mean after the meal, instead of sitting
on the couch, you know, going out and getting some

(02:18):
fresh air. Might be a little stroll along the beach
or stroll through the neighborhood for ten minutes. Doesn't have
to be excessive exercise, but just a little bit of
movement can actually make you feel good after your Christmas
meal and it will help you regulate the sugar that
you've eaten for the dessert so you don't feel that
sluggish feeling after having it.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
Keep dessert, just keep moving.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it doesn't have.

Speaker 3 (02:40):
To be excessive, and you don't have to be going
to the gym on Christmas Day, but actually just a
little bit of movement does wonders. Also, keeping up your
hydration really important, that we're not getting dehydrated, especially if
we're having more alcohol and sugar. And then quality sleep,
which I know on the holidays sometimes we think, oh,
we're on holidays, so we'll stay up really late and
we can catch up on sleep tomorrow and sleep on

(03:03):
sleep in or have some naps, or maybe have too
many naps during the you can't get to sleep at night.
But actually quality sleep can help you regulate your sugar
levels as well and actually make you feel really good
and you're more likely to eat healthier when you are
more rested. So it's about just keeping their harmony and
balance through this time and also after the day after

(03:24):
you've had Christmas Day, the next day if you know
you've over indulged a lot and you're feeling a bit
on the boxing day, all the day after Boxing day
is get back on some good nutrition and get back
on three meals a day, good amount of vegetables, plenty
of protein, lots of fiber, get your body moving and
you'll be back on track again.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
You're trying to say to me Erin, is that if
I've gotten a little bit of a hangover and I
just really want to cocon a pie, I should just
have a nice green smoothe and get on with my
life right.

Speaker 3 (03:50):
Absolutely, greens thoothie, some hydration, some electrolytes and a little
bit of movement and you're good to go.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
Erin, thank you so much, Merry Christmas. Always love you
to have you on the show and we look forward
to seeing you back in twenty twenty five.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Ron. Listen
live to News Talks at B from nine am Sunday,
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